Day 8 and the Daveys and Woods head out to the Cu Chi tunnels. The tunnels were created by the Viet Cong during their war with the French and then greatly expanded throughout the Vietnam War. The tunnels averaged 31 inches wide and 5 feet tall. The Vietcong created over 120 miles of tunnels. The tunnels were not only used to support offensive military action they also housed hospitals, store rooms, workshops and accommodation for Vietcong fighters. At one point during the Vietnam war it was estimated that over 16,000 people were housed in these tunnels.

In virtual darkness we had the opportunity to clamber through some of the tunnels at the Cu Chi complex. It is difficult to imagine how people could survive in these tunnels let alone fight a war.

During our visit to the complex John and I were given the opportunity to use AK47 and M16 rifles firing live rounds at targets. Predictably neither of us won the cuddly toy.

We returned to the ship via a local restaurant where we had a typical Vietnamese lunch

Once again a great trip.

Finally back on board we were soon sailing down the Mekong River before entering the South China Sea, turning right and full steam ahead to Cambodia.

Final thoughts on Vietnam………

We needed to spend more time here, the people are friendly, the traffic horrendous, heed the warnings for snakes, scorpions and other deadly insects. The infrastructure is poor, there are no public toilets in the cities, Vietnam has tremendous history (recent and ancient). Vietnam is a country you must visit, spend time in Saigon, at least 3 full days and visit those beaches. PS. The advice is visit the beaches but be careful about the shells you pick up J